Noise Ordinances in Craven County, NC (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Craven County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Unincorporated Craven County enforces a general 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. quiet-hours scheme under Section 24-22. Noise disturbances are barred at any hour, but the code singles out radios, TVs, musical instruments and similar amplified sound as unreasonably loud specifically during the night window when they cross a property line or hit a noise-sensitive zone.
Craven County Nighttime Quiet Hours
Some RestrictionsCraven County Code § 24-22(a), (b)(1)a
(a)Noise disturbances. Except as provided in section 24-23, no person shall make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance, regardless of the time of day. ... (b)Specific prohibitions. Except as provided in section 24-23, the following acts, among others, are declared to be unreasonably loud, disturbing and unusually excessive noises in violation of this article, but suc...
Construction Hours
Unincorporated Craven County bars construction and demolition tools between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when the noise crosses a residential property line or reaches a noise-sensitive zone within 200 feet of a school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home. Emergency work is exempt. The Sheriff's Office enforces the noise article under Chapter 24.
Craven County Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsCraven County Code § 24-22(b)(4)
(4)Construction and demolition. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction or demolition work between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or within a sensitive zone, except for emergency work; provided that this shall not apply to t...
Leaf Blower Rules
Unincorporated Craven County treats leaf blowers, lawn mowers and other domestic power tools like saws, sanders, drills and grinders as unreasonably loud when run outdoors near homes between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Section 24-22(b)(8) bars the practice whenever the sound crosses a residential property boundary.
Craven County Leaf Blower & Yard Tool Hours
Some RestrictionsCraven County Code § 24-22(b)(8)
(8)Domestic power tools. Operating or permitting the operation of any mechanically powered saw, sander, drill, grinder, lawn or garden tools, or similar device used outdoors, in or near residential areas between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day so as to cause a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Craven County Code § 24-22(b)(1)-(2) bars operating radios, musical instruments, sound amplifiers or loudspeakers between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in a way that creates a noise disturbance across a property line, and bars it at any hour within 200 feet of a school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home, the noise-sensitive zone defined in § 24-20.
Craven County Amplified Sound Time Limits
Some RestrictionsCraven County Code §§ 24-20, 24-22
Noise-sensitive zone means any area within 200 feet from the property lines of any school, church, nursing home, hospital or funeral home. ... (1)Radios, television sets, musical instruments and similar devices. Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, ...
Aircraft Noise
Anyone selling or leasing property inside the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone around Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point must give the buyer or tenant a written AICUZ disclosure before the deal closes. The notice identifies which noise and accident-potential zone the property sits in, from the Clear Zone down to Noise Level N1, so buyers know what aircraft noise to expect.
Craven County's Cherry Point Noise Disclosure
Light RestrictionsCraven County Code ch. 41, art. III, pt. II (Cherry Point MCAS Zoning Ordinance), § 304
No person shall sell, lease, nor offer for sale or lease any property subject to this Part unless the prospective buyer or lessee has been given the following notice: ... The property subject to this contract/lease is situated within the following zones of the Air Installation Compatibility Use Zone (AICUZ) of the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point: ... Clear Zone (CZ): Greatest poten...
Vehicle Noise
Unincorporated Craven County bars operating a motor vehicle, motorcycle or motorboat with a defective or modified exhaust, unreasonably rapid acceleration or tire squealing, or overloading that causes excessive grating or rattling, whenever the noise crosses a property line or reaches a noise-sensitive zone. Section 24-22(b)(9) also covers repairs and testing.
Craven County Vehicle Exhaust & Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsCraven County Code § 24-22(b)(9)a-b
(9)Motor vehicles, motorcycles and motorboats.a.Generally. No person shall operate a motor vehicle, motorcycle or motorboat which causes a noise disturbance across a real property boundary, within a noise-sensitive zone or on a public right-of-way, public space or public waterway as a result of:1.A defective or modified exhaust system; or2.Any unreasonably rapid acceleration, deceleration, engi...
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